


The Memory Remains

by VividMayu



Series: With Eyes Wide Open [2]
Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: Canon vehicular slaughter/murder, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, F/M, Fingerfucking, First Time, Fluff, Found Family Dynamic, Light Dom/sub, Oral Sex, Praise Kink, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Supernatural Elements, idk I'm winging it here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:28:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27377209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VividMayu/pseuds/VividMayu
Summary: Sequel to 'Sweet Dreams'.Mai knows Naru's secret, but does the rest of SPR? Familiar faces can sometimes hide the darkest of pasts.
Relationships: Hara Masako/Original female character, John Brown & Hara Masako, Lin Koujo & Taniyama Mai, Oliver Davis/Taniyama Mai, Shibuya Kazuya/Taniyama Mai, one sided Hara Masako/Taniyama Mai
Series: With Eyes Wide Open [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1007457
Comments: 37
Kudos: 43





	1. Face in a Crowd

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Memory Remains](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/709285) by miss koneko (also me). 



> Many thanks to my beta reader, Silmarien Miriel!
> 
> When you tell me I'm magic, somehow I believe you.
> 
> This story is a complete overhaul of my original sequel to the original Sweet Dreams, posted on ffnet around a decade ago. I won't remove the original versions though, if anyone wishes to read them.
> 
> I will add any additional tags that occur to me as I continue.

Naru woke to the sound of screaming. _Mai’s_ screaming.

Panic gripped him and he ripped off the blanket covering him. Naru didn’t recall it being there before. Lin must have stopped by to check on them and had pulled out a spare blanket rather than wake them.

They’d been curled up in each other, content and happy. Now Mai was sobbing, thrashing wildly in her sleep and reaching for her legs in a way that struck Naru as terrifyingly familiar.

“Please, no! _Stop_ -” Her voice broke and Naru’s heart broke with her. He gripped her shoulders firmly.

“Mai! Wake up! I need you to wake up, right _now_.”

Naru was distantly aware of doors slamming open and shut, unsurprised when Lin made an appearance behind him.

“Get me something cold.”

Lin complied with his usual efficiency and came back seconds later with an ice pack. Naru pressed it to the back of Mai’s neck. Her eyes snapped open, full of terror that broke when Mai realized she was no longer alone. Choking back violent sobs that shook her small frame, Mai buried her face against Naru’s shirt, gripping the dark fabric like a lifeline.

Looking to Lin, Naru tipped his head towards Mai and trusted his friend to know what he needed. With a brief nod, Lin left the room. Soon he would be back with a hot cup of tea for Mai, which Naru hoped would help ground her as it had on the Urado case.

“I – I was going for a walk to c-clear my head -” Mai sobbed into his shirt, “It was d-dark and I was distracted -”

A chill settled in Naru’s chest. He knew whose memory Mai had stumbled into.

“Someone hit you with a car.” Even to Naru’s own ears, his voice sounded distant. He held Mai a little closer and tried to focus on being present. Now was not the time to dwell on things he could not change.

Mai nodded, “At first I thought it was an accident - that when she got out of the car, she was going to _help_ me -” Mai’s eyes jammed shut and she covered her mouth, overcome with grief and horror that another human could do something so heartless.

Naru held Mai even tighter. “She saw that you were still alive, and she got back in the car,” he finished.

Mai looked up at him, still shaking. “Y-yes.”

It might have been on the tip of her tongue to ask him how he knew what she’d experienced in the vision, but whatever surprise Mai may have felt vanished when she saw his face. Naru wondered what kind of expression he was making and made an effort to soften his features.

“Did you wake up before...?” Naru trailed off, unsure of what to say. There was still a chance Mai hadn’t experienced Gene’s murder in its entirety.

Mai shook her head violently, burying her face against his chest.

_Shit._

He knew what happened next. Naru tried not to think about the cracking and crunching of splintered limbs, torn flesh, the taste of blood and hands wrestling Mai’s broken body into the boot of a car. Gene would die long before being abandoned in a watery grave, but Mai was very much alive and would struggle to breathe as the frigid water filled her lungs.

Naru focused on Mai. He ran his fingers through her hair, hoping she found the tactile sensation soothing. “It’s over now. You’re safe.” Honestly, Naru wasn’t sure which one of them he was consoling. Soon Lin returned with the tea Naru nonverbally requested and Mai began to settle from the scent alone. She shut her eyes and cradled the cup to her chest, sipping gently until the grip of the vision faded. Naru felt some of the tension bleed from his shoulder blades as he watched Mai relax.

It was still dark and far too early for breakfast, but Lin was the only one who had eaten anything since at least lunch the day before. Naru wasn’t actually sure if he’d had anything other than tea in the last twenty four hours. Lin solved that problem by retrieving the takeout he’d left for them earlier in the evening. Once the food had been reheated, the three of them sat down to discuss Mai’s visions. Now that Naru knew about his brother’s meddling, he was concerned about leaving Mai’s abilities unchecked. If Gene moved on, Naru foresaw two likely outcomes. Either Mai’s visions would cease, or she’d wind up biting of more than she could chew and be left with no one to guide her.

“Practicing meditation will be useful, but the technique may not be enough on its own,” Lin mused, considering how little warning Mai’s visions typically gave her.

Naru’s brow furrowed. “Mai needs to learn how to control a trance state without the mental preparation usually used to enter it in the first place,” he concluded.

“Yes,” Lin agreed. "I'd recommend discussing the matter with Hara-san for any insight she can offer as a medium. At least half of SPR’s members could assist with the meditation training, depending on availability, and there is always BSPR.”

Mai looked between Lin and Naru and asked, “BSPR?”

“The British Society for Psychical Research,” Lin provided. “SPR is a branch of BSPR.”

“That’s where Madoka is based, when she’s not traveling to other branches.” Naru added. Mai tended to appreciate context, when he remembered to give it. She smiled at him and it made Naru’s heart squeeze. God, he was so lucky.

 _Mai loves me_ , he tried the thought on for size.

 _Mai_ loves _me._

Lin said something to him that Naru only half heard. From the context, he gathered Lin wanted his opinion on reaching out to BSPR. “We have access to their resources. It would make sense to utilize them, but I would exercise caution unless you want to be famous.”

“Ehhhhh!”

Mai was so shocked, Naru was tempted to laugh. He shook his head at the obvious doubt on her face. One of these days Mai was going to realize that she was, in fact, special. “Mai, you do realize that not everyone can carry physical objects through the astral plane?”

“I only did that _once_!”

“Without any training or even trying,” Naru addressed, no longer bothering to hide his amusement. Mai glared at him without any real heat and turned towards Lin for a second opinion, only for Lin to nod in agreement.

“Honestly, I apologize for not trying to assist you sooner,” Lin lowered his head, wilting.

“That’s alright,” Mai shot Naru a devious grin, smugly appraising him while she responded to Lin, “You’ve had your hands full.”

Caught off guard, Lin let out a bark of laughter at Naru’s expense, gripping his jaw with one hand to contain the sound. Lin’s mirth was muffled, but his shoulders shook uncontrollably. Naru ignored Lin in favour of reminding Mai that she’d hardly been an innocent bystander – if he was going down for his reckless behavior, she was coming down with him.

Mai had the good grace to look guilty, but it didn’t stop her from lobbing a cushion at him. If Lin hadn’t been there, Naru suspected she would have gleefully tackled him to the ground and they might have resumed what they’d started in his bedroom earlier, before physical and emotional exhaustion had gotten the better of them.

Naru imagined Mai pressing him into the carpet, the two of them fighting for the upper hand with increasingly dirty tactics. Maybe he’d flip her onto her back and she’d look up at him with wide eyes that quickly turned dark and hungry. Mai would enjoy the challenge. She’d distract him with her lips or the drag of her thighs against his and –

Lin coughed.

Naru refused to acknowledge the heat creeping up his neck and looked at Lin as if he’d had his attention all along. Lin wasn’t fooled. He’d didn’t raise an eyebrow or rib Naru for his distraction, but they knew each other far too well for Naru to not feel entirely _seen_. With the barest hint of a smile, Lin bid the two of them goodnight and Naru was left alone with Mai once more.

Tentatively, he held his hand out for Mai. She took it with a light, reassuring squeeze.

“I know this is -”

“Where would you - ”

They both spoke at the same time, cutting off before finishing. “You first,” Mai insisted.

“Where would you like to sleep?”

“Is – is together an option?” Mai asked.

“ _Yes._ ” Anything she wanted from him was an option. Mai flushed happily and tugged on his hand, leading him back to his bed and boldly pulling him down with her. Naru grinned, “You’re sure you only want to sleep?”

“For now – don’t think I’ve forgotten that you collapsed earlier.”

“Thank you for not telling Lin this time.”

“I will if I need to,” Mai warned, poking his chest defiantly. “If you make me cry, you’ll regret it.”

“If I make you cry, I’ll deserve it.” Naru countered, catching Mai’s hand mid-prod and turning her palm towards him. He met her gaze and kissed the inside of her wrist in promise. “Sleep well, Mai.”

No more visions or nightmares disturbed them as they slept, curled up in each other. When Naru woke, he couldn’t recall ever feeling so warm and content. Even SPR’s irregular members stopping by his place of business with the sole intent to snoop didn’t dampen Naru’s mood.

“I see you fulfilled your end of the bargain,” Matsuzaki informed him, looking over at Mai in approval.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“When it comes to Mai, I’m not sure even you know what you would and wouldn’t do.”

Something in his expression must have changed, because the miko grinned at him like a shark that had caught the whiff of blood in the water. “Oh ho, ho,” Matsuzaki crowed. “Finally become self aware, did you?”

Naru ignored her antics and Matsuzaki sauntered over to Mai, winking back at him over her shoulder. Well, at least Mai knew what she was in for. Matsuzaki had never been subtle. Despite her tendency to make snap judgments, the miko was straight forward to deal with. If she wanted something, she’d tell you. Even if she didn’t get her way, it was rare for Matsuzaki to take denial personally – she had far too much power (both monetary and supernatural) for that.

SPR’s front door opened and Naru was unsurprised to see Hara walk through it. She paused at the sight of her coworkers, having not been notified of a case – Naru wondered if she thought she’d been left out. He motioned to Hara and opened the door to his office.

“Good, I’d been meaning to contact you.”

Hara’s chin lifted and Naru saw her eyes flit towards Mai, watching for a reaction as she followed after him. There was none. For some reason, Mai not noticing her seemed to disappoint the medium – Hara’s graceful movements seemed stiff and her polite smile forced.

It occurred to Naru that maybe, instead of being worried about Lin having feelings for Mai, he should have been more concerned about _Hara_. From the beginning she seemed to have very little romantic interest in him, despite the numerous dates he’d been coerced into. He’d come to the conclusion that the medium simply struggled to form connections with the living, considering her occupation and fame from a young age, but now that he thought about it, wasn’t Hara unusually focused on Mai? Especially where he was concerned?

If she wanted to make friends with Mai, why use him to do it?

He narrowed his eyes. Now that he knew how Mai felt about him, Naru was starting to feel remarkably like bait.

Either way he needed Hara’s help, so Naru put his suspicion aside for now. Even if she did turn out to be a rival for Mai’s affection, he knew where Mai stood on the matter, and her opinion was the only one that mattered.

-x-

Masako schooled her face to hide her shock. “You want me to train Mai?”

Naru leaned back in his chair, looking up at her from the other side of his desk. “Not necessarily, but any input you can provide would be invaluable.”

Masako plastered on a smile and tried to find pleasure in the compliment. Naru had always respected her skills as a medium.

“Of course,” Masako agreed. Her celebrity status wasn’t just for show, but it also meant there were demands on her time. “I’ll do what I can.”

Whatever else Mai might be to her, Masako could not deny that her rival’s abilities had saved her life. She would always be grateful for the way Mai had come to her side, giving her something to hold on to, both literally and metaphorically. The key to Mai’s old home, symbolizing everything dear to her that she’d since lost – Mai had pressed it into Masako’s trembling hands and filled her with hope.

Masako wasn’t the kind to leave a debt unpaid.

_Plus any time Mai spends with me, she won’t be with Naru._

The polite smile on her face suddenly took less effort to maintain. Something had changed between Naru and Mai since the last ‘date’ Masako had convinced Naru to accompany her on and this was her chance to do damage control.

Reentering the waiting area, Masako’s eyes found Mai instantly. She was being grilled by Matsuzaki, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

She was blushing because of Naru, Masako knew. That was always why Mai blushed. A deep ache settled around Masako’s heart. She hated it.

Drawing herself up a little taller, Masako walked closer to Naru. She knew what they looked like together – elegant, refined and untouchable. Like her, Naru knew the pitfalls of fame. They could understand each other in a way that few others could.

Mai didn’t even know Naru’s _name_.

Her rival hadn’t been ruffled by Masako being drawn away to talk to their mutual love interest in private, but maybe now Mai would pay more attention. Masako chose her words carefully, purposely emphasizing Naru’s confidence in her. She was trusted, confided in and skilled.

“Naru tells me you need my help.”

Matsuzaki looked at Mai with raised, perfectly shaped eyebrows. “You do?” Her eyes narrowed, “With what?”

“My dreams,” Mai explained. “It turns out I may be a little less ‘latent’ than we thought.”

 _Clearly,_ Masako thought sarcastically. Mai had demonstrated many different skills in the years they’d worked together, but Naru had never been worried about Mai’s unusual skill set before – had something changed?

“What happened?” Masako demanded. If she was going to help, she needed to know.

Mai looked over Masako’s shoulder before answering. Masako followed her gaze. Naru hadn’t stayed in his office as she’d expected, considering the rowdy group in his workspace, and was watching their conversation. _No_ , Masako corrected. Naru was watching _Mai_. An extremely petty part of her was tempted to shift in front of him and block their line of sight to each other.

“I’ve been speaking to spirits without realizing, and last night I -” Mai stilled, wrapping her arms around herself. Despite the jealousy that curled around Masako’s heart, it softened at the sight of Mai’s vulnerability. Like the time where a spirit had overtaken Mai’s body, Masako felt the need to reach out to her, except there was no lingering soul to guide to the netherworld. She was at a loss. Would it be strange if she touched her? Mai was known for being affectionate, but ‘Hara Masako’ was _not_.

“Mai experienced another death,” Naru intervened smoothly. “So far other people have been there to wake her, but that may not always be the case.”

“Oh?” Yasuhara piped up, “Who woke you up, Taniyama-san?”

Mai turned bright red, all the way to the tips of her ears, and Masako felt her entire body go instantaneously numb. She knew the answer before Naru even opened his mouth.

“I did.”

SPR erupted with sound.

“What were you doing with Taniyama-san, big boss?” Yasuhara prodded. The question was so laced with implication it was a wonder the researcher hadn’t waggled his eyebrows.

Naru rolled his eyes. “I expected Bou-san to be the one to interrogate me, not you.”

“Oh?” Yasuhara adjusted his glasses and grinned. “I was simply curious.” He looked over at the monk, who seemed to be having some kind of internal crisis. Takigawa was perfectly still, mouth ajar like his soul was leaking out of it.

“Alas, I think you’ve broken the light of my life -”

“Shonen,” Takigawa snapped out of his funk long enough to growl, “You’re not good for my heart.”

“Oh, but I _could_ be.”

At least Mai was smiling now, Masako thought. For a moment, when Mai had mentioned her dream, she’d been caught by something Masako could not see. She’d stood too still and felt too distant. The death she’d witnessed must have been horrific. Ignoring everyone else in the room, Masako brought Mai’s attention back to the reason she had approached her.

“I’ll help you,” Masako announced without preamble. “There are many constraints on my time however – are you able to work around that?”

Again, Mai looked to Naru, who nodded. “That shouldn’t be a problem,” Mai replied. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Masako smiled. Mai’s sincerity had a way of making her feel warm, sometimes uncomfortably so. She shifted to address Naru. “I have some time now, but we’ll need somewhere quiet.”

Matsuzaki sighed and started chasing the rest of the visiting group out the door. Takigawa argued that she was louder until Matsuzaki pointed out that this was “for Mai’s sake” and “didn’t he want to keep her safe?” Everyone cleared out after that, even John, who wouldn’t have been a distraction even if he had stayed.

Masako was begrudgingly impressed.

Before Naru left them to it, he drew Mai aside, speaking to her in soft tones. They stood together with a casual closeness that hurt to look at. There had been moments in the past where watching them had made her feel like an outsider, but seeing Mai reach out and Naru meet her half way cut Masako to the core. She was still reeling from the blow when Mai sat down with her on the couch, ready to listen and absorb whatever experience Masako could offer her.

“You’re together now, aren’t you?”

Mai looked surprised. “How did you know?”

 _Because I have eyes,_ Masako imagined replying.

“I know when I’ve lost.”

“Masako, I -”

She held up her hand to interrupt Mai. “Don’t say you’re sorry. I wouldn’t be.”

When Masako left a little over an hour later, she climbed gracefully into the sleek vehicle waiting for her. She thanked her driver for holding open the door, waited until she was safely behind tinted glass and cried.

-x-

Naru stared out of his office window, taking in the hypnotic ebb and flow of people going about their day. Autumn had begun to take hold of the city, the mornings pleasant and the afternoons cool. In the distance, trees prepared to shed their leaves, a progressing symphony of yellow, dark orange and deep reds. A light knock on Naru's office door caused the corner of his mouth to twitch upwards in anticipation. He kept silent, waiting for Mai to take the initiative and walk in regardless of whether she was interrupting or not.

She didn’t disappoint.

In the reflection of the window, he saw Mai pause to watch him. She set some tea down on his desk and came over to the window to join him, snaking her arms around his waist from behind and resting her chin in between his shoulder blades.

"Are you going to tell them?" Mai asked quietly.

Naru considered dodging the question but thought better of it.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. What was he supposed to tell them, exactly? 'Hey guys, my murdered twin was dumped in a lake somewhere and I'm searching for his body. Oh, and Shibuya Kazuya doesn’t exist. I’m Oliver Davis - you know, that famous professor Takigawa admires so much?' _Ridiculous._

“Even if you don’t tell them who you are, you _know_ they’d want to help you find Gene,” Mai reminded him.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Naru promised, turning in her grasp to kiss her forehead. Mai relaxed against him and he leaned in to her touch, taking comfort in the feeling of home and safety and afternoon light.

Mai’s stomach rumbled between them. She froze and tried to make herself look as intimidating as possible, while still being buried adorably in his shirt. Naru smirked. "Hungry?"

Mai hid her face and burrowed further into his chest. He felt more than heard her grumble. “Shut up.”

The smirk became a fully fledged grin. “Are you going to make me?”

At his hopeful tone, Mai pulled away from him, hands resting on his forearms while his own slid to her hips. God, she fit in his hands so beautifully. It was devastating.

“There are other ways to ask for a kiss, you know.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“You just want to hear me ask you,” Mai accused. She wasn’t wrong – that sounded absolutely amazing, Naru thought.

“Would it be so bad if I did?”

Mai blushed. “N-no.”

He laced their fingers together and tugged her towards the door, announcing they would be gone for a while and asking if Lin wanted them to bring anything back for him. While they were out, Naru took a brief detour to a bookstore and picked up an order that had been waiting for him. Mai looked at the relatively small, hardbound book in his hands.

“What’s it about?”

"A study on the merits of memories believed to be born from reincarnation," Naru explained. "I respect the author's scientific approach to the subject, even if my conclusions differ from his…"

To his surprise, Mai giggled. She wasn’t laughing _at him_ exactly, or at the very least he could tell Mai wasn’t being cruel – it was however, the kind of sound she might make upon seeing a floundering kitten or a fluffy rabbit. Naru tried to imagine what about his choice of book might make him fall under the same category and came up blank.

"I'm sorry," Mai managed, still giggling and clearly unrepentant. "But something like that is what you'd consider 'light reading', isn't it? It's the same way Keiko or Michiru would feel about reading a romance novel."

Naru pulled a face and Mai bit her lip in an attempt to stop herself from laughing even harder. He got the distinct impression she was imagining him wrapped up in a shoujo manga or sappy paperback. “And you find that…cute?”

Mai stopped laughing and avoided his gaze, blushing hard. “M-maybe.”

Naru filed that information away for later.

Since Lin was waiting on them for his lunch as well, Naru and Mai got takeaway for the three of them and planned on eating when they got back to SPR. Somewhere in between ordering and Mai rushing up to grab their meals, Naru stilled. He was being watched.

Turning towards the growing feeling of unease, Naru’s attention was drawn to a woman in the lunchtime rush. He guessed she was somewhere between twenty-five to early thirties. Short, dark hair framed her rapidly paling face, her eyes wide with horror as their gazes locked.

Naru frowned. She looked familiar. Maybe she’d been one of the clients he had scared away during the worst of his self destructive spiral. His memory of those two weeks was blurry at best and Lin had assured him that if he ever pulled a stunt like that again, he’d tell his mother that he was dating.

An ocean in between your relatives might normally be considered a safe distance but Naru knew better.

As someone who’d never shown an interest in romance before, he was guaranteed several inquisitive phone calls at the very least, if not an impromptu visit from Luella and Madoka. Because if his mother knew, then his mentor would, too. Luella would be touched that her son’s attitude had thawed even remotely and want to know everything about the person who managed it and Madoka was her personal chaotic enabler. His father would be enamored with Mai’s psychic potential once he caught wind of it and then nothing on the planet would stop them from interfering with his personal life. Naru supposed it was a reality he was going to have to face sooner or later, but at this particular moment in time he was content to wait until later.

Mai returned with their food and Naru held out his hand to take the largest bag. When he went to point out the woman to see if Mai remembered her, the possible ex-client had disappeared from sight.

-x-

It wasn't the first time she had seen him, the woman admitted silently. She had seen his dark form pass by her many times in crowds, and each time she told herself that it was merely her own fears creating his pale image. Perhaps it had merely been a man _dressed_ like him – many kids these days seemed to like the gothic look – in fact, if it weren't for the way he had turned to meet her gaze, Cho might have been able to dismiss what she had seen once again.

It just _wasn't_ possible, she repeated in her mind over and over again as she stared at the stark figure standing perfectly still, unfazed amongst a sea of shoppers.

_I'm either going mad or…_

The second alternative that occurred to the woman terrified her far more than the first. Madness could almost been seen as a blessing in disguise, but _this_? He had come to make her pay, just as she had always feared he would.

Willing her numb body to move, Cho fled for her life.

-x-

**_Omake:_ **

Somewhere in between entering their client’s alleged haunted home and Mai bringing in the first armful of portable shelving, Naru stilled. He was being watched.

Turning towards the growing feeling of unease, Naru’s attention was drawn to a small black cat hiding next to a bag of the same approximate size and colour. He guessed the cat was a little older than a kitten, but not so old that it had grown bored with games. Their dark pupils were blown wide with interest, rimmed in gold as the cat hunkered down and waited for its prey to make a move.

Naru humoured the small creature and ducked out of sight, finding shelter beside a nearby bookcase. Slowly he poked his head around the corner - just enough to see the tip of one of the cat’s delicate black ears. The adorable fur demon didn’t move, but tilted their head just enough to let him know it knew he was watching and doing a poor job of it. The second Naru let his guard down, the cat pounced. A few kitty smooches and it bounded merrily off to find a new place to hide.

Concerned that the small animal might wreak havoc on the numerous cables and wiring SPR was in the process of bringing in from the van, Naru addressed the clients about their cat.

The couple turned to each other in confusion and then back at him. “But we don’t _have_ a cat.”


	2. No One Knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my beta reader, Silmarien Miriel!
> 
> Happy New Year everyone!

Mai sat down at her desk, stomach full and a touch sleepy. Her chair was hardly uncomfortable, but it was far from an ideal place to feel herself start to doze off.

She sat up straight and smacked her hands to her cheeks. Instead of a mild sting, her face felt numb and disconnected to her body. Mai glared at her hands and willed them to stop feeling fuzzy.

 _Ah._ This kind of tired wasn’t the result of food coma, was it? Mai tried to remember what Masako had said to do when the supernatural pulled at her mind.

_Identify the signs. Prepare for them. You don’t want to injure your body if you leave it in a hurry._

Mai eyed the distance to the couch and hoped she could make it that far. The other option was lying on the floor, but she didn’t want to startle anyone if they walked in and saw her sprawled out on the carpet.

Oh, and she should probably tell someone…

-x-

In a sea of darkness, Gene’s consciousness stirred. His self awareness grew in stages, as did the knowledge that something was _wrong_.

Was Noll alright? Was Mai?

He explored the darkness, looking for other lingering spirits. There were always a few, but none of them seemed to be the cause of his unease. Gene helped those he could and kept searching. Finding no better course of action, he followed what was left of his connection with Noll, hoping Mai was nearby. Gene might not be able to warn his brother directly, but Noll’s psychic assistant was another story.

As Gene had hoped, it didn’t take him long to find Mai. She responded to his presence almost immediately, head lulling forward as her secondary senses screamed to be made known. Instead of slumping on her desk like Mai normally would, Gene noted that she tried to make it to the couch before completing the bridge between them. Was she starting to be able to tell when her tiredness was due to her abilities?

Gene hoped for Mai’s sake that she was – some of the places he’d seen her sleep were far from comfortable. Even though Mai hadn’t quite made it all the way onto the couch, at least her head was slumped on the seat cushion.

Once her senses fully shifted from physical to spiritual, Mai opened her eyes and lifted her head, taking in the glow of her body and the darkness she sat in. When she saw him, Mai smiled. Warmth filled Gene at the sight.

“Gene!”

_Wait - what?_

Mai had _never_ called him by his real name. Not once. For as long as he’d known her, she’d referred to him as ‘Naru’ (Gene could only assume she meant ‘Noll’). The first time he met Mai, Gene was too surprised to feel guilty about allowing her to think he was his twin. He didn’t think he’d meet her again and thought it might be better if the cute girl didn't realise she was talking to a _ghost_.

But then he saw her again.

And again.

And _again_.

Clearly Mai was someone close to his brother – very few people called Oliver by his nickname – yet she didn’t seem to know anything about Gene. He was sure his brother had his reasons, but the omission stung.

Sometimes he saw glimpses of Noll through mirrors – small windows into the land of the living. If he could just get his brother to look through the same mirror at the same time, Gene hoped they would be able to communicate. In life they had been telepathic – surely their connection was just bent, not broken.

If he could speak to him, Gene would tell him to put away his maps. He’d tell Noll to move on with his life and let the police find what was left of his twin. By the time he’d realised Mai could pass that message on for him, Gene had worked out why Noll was keeping him a secret – he was keeping _everything_ secret. His name, his powers, and anything else that could connect ‘Shibuya Kazuya’ back to Oliver Davis.

Now here Mai was calling him Gene and he wanted to know what that meant. How much did she know? How honest could he be with her?

Gene took hold of Mai’s hand to help her stand – it was a mistake. The second his soul came into contact with hers, he was in another place, in another time.

The smell of blood and exhaust fumes overwhelmed Gene’s senses, bones splintering as he screamed. A voice which hadn’t been present during his death called out, but the words were lost in his agony.

_Mai –_

_Oh god, no –_

She was here with him.

Gene tore away from Mai, but the memory refused to release him. _Not this,_ Gene begged. _Anything but this!_ He’d never wanted Mai to see how he’d died. Considering her growing skills, it had always been a possibility, but Gene had always hoped she would be spared that horror.

Two soft hands firmly cupped his face. _Mai’s hands_ , Gene sluggishly identified. She pressed her forehead to his, filling his vision. The pain began to subside as he focused on the contact and the soft glow of Mai’s soul.

“I’m here. I know what happened,” Mai soothed. “You don’t have to hide it from me.”

As suddenly as it began, the nightmare stopped. No screaming. No torn flesh. He was back in the darkness, the only light emanating from himself and Mai. She leaned back to examine him, but didn’t let go of his face. When Mai wiped away his tears with her thumbs and a small smile, Gene realised he’d been crying.

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Mai seemed genuinely confused.

“For lying about who I was – that – that you had to see -” Gene stammered. Mai shushed him.

“I’m pretty sure I have enough forgiveness left over for you, too.”

 _‘Left over’?_ Her words rolled around in his consciousness and Gene kept coming back to the same conclusion. “Noll....apologised?”

“More or less,” Mai shrugged. “Noll is what you call Naru?”

_That and ‘idiot scientist’._

Gene nodded.

Mai knew as well as he did that their time was limited. She skipped to the big questions. “So, why am I here? Did something happen?”

He didn’t answer her directly. “Are you and Noll safe?”

“I think so – why?”

Gene wondered if she’d get the reference if he told her there was a disturbance in the force. Instead he gestured to the darkness around them. He could feel himself getting tired again. “Feels wrong,” he concentrated on saying.

Mai promised to be careful. Good. He could rest now.

“Gene!”

He tried to hang on just a little longer, for Mai’s sake.

“How do we find you?”

Sadly, Gene shook his head. There wasn’t time. He concentrated carefully on his next words, hoping they made it to Mai before he faded.

“Tell my brother to look in a mirror.”

He let the darkness take him.

-x-

Miserable days called for comfort food, so when her driver had asked where she wished to go, Masako requested somewhere with cake.

“I know just the place”, he’d said with a smile.

Her first impression of the dessert shop was that someone had wanted this store to feel like a home. The storefront was charming in its simplicity, part way between traditional and modern architecture, with a variety of colourful plants framing the windows and accentuating the entrance. The flowers smell was sweet and refreshing as Masako entered, making her way over to the elaborate display of assorted treats.

Each sweet was carefully crafted – some were so beautiful that it was almost a shame to eat them. After much deliberation, Masako’s top choices were a dessert moulded in the form of a rabbit, a slice of cake filled with layers of immaculate strawberries surrounded by cream and a citrus tart decorated with slices of lemon and lime, arranged like blooming flowers.

Masako bought all three. The rabbit and the tart were put aside for her in takeaway boxes while she ate the strawberry cake at one of the tastefully decorated tables. Flowers from the storefront were a reoccurring theme, the same general shapes and colours recognisable along the edges of the table cloths and delicate plates. It wouldn’t surprise Masako if the owner had made or commissioned them specifically to match the shop’s aesthetic.

Picking up the small silver spoon, Masako cut into the cake and got her first taste. The dessert was nothing short of _heavenly._ Cream and fresh strawberries blended perfectly in her mouth, complimented by the light and fluffy consistency.

“Hey, don’t I know you?”

Masako turned towards the voice with a professional smile. “I don’t believe we’ve met, but perhaps -”

The stranger didn’t allow her to continue. “Ah! You’re that psychic girl on TV,” he announced, pointing at her. Masako lifted a hand to cover her mouth with her sleeve and dropped the name of her latest show. Fame had its drawbacks but this was her life and she’d worked hard for it. She knew how to handle herself in public and if all else failed, her driver doubled as a bodyguard when necessary.

“Those ghosts don’t know how good they’ve got it,” he joked, eyeing her appreciatively.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, besides being dead and all -”

“Miss?” One of the staff interjected smoothly, “The table you requested has become available. Would you like me to prepare it for you?”

Masako hadn’t requested a specific table. She looked up at the unexpectedly tall waitress whose eyes slid pointedly to her company, before returning a concerned gaze back to Masako. She was trying to offer her an out.

“That would be lovely, thank you.”

Masako excused herself before her uninvited guest could argue and followed her saviour – whose name tag read ‘Murakami’ - to a private table with a direct line of sight to the service counter.

“Just say the word and I’ll have him leave.”

The sudden change in demeanour took Masako off guard. Those words were spoken with certainty and confidence, as if worse people had tried and failed to best her. Murakami must have misread Masako’s surprise for doubt, because she flexed one of her arms and winked.

“I may not look it, but I’m strong.”

Masako believed her. Contrary to Murakami’s statement, she _did_ look strong - compact and lean, like Lin. “Do you have to eject people often?”

“Only when they make other customers feel unwelcome. Our boss is very big on this place feeling like a home.”

“I noticed that. It’s very beautiful.”

“I’ll have to tell him you said so – he’ll be pleased.”

“Thank you again for the save, Murakami-san.”

“Anytime, uh -”

“Hara Masako,” she provided.

“Hara-san,” Murakami beamed, cheeks pink, and gave a little wave as she returned to the counter. Her co-worker must have said something to embarrass her, because Murakami threw a hand over his mouth before he could finish it. An unexpected giggle bubbled up inside Masako at their antics and Murakami looked back at her, eyes wide and blushing all the way to the tips of her ears. She pulled her hand from the guy’s mouth and scrubbed it on her apron.

When Masako collected her additional boxed deserts and left, she felt lighter than she had in weeks.

Perhaps today wasn’t entirely awful.

-x-

During his sleepless stint, Naru had still managed to be contacted by a few particularly motivated clients. He couldn’t recall whether they were especially stubborn or just that desperate, but their files now lay open on his desk for further evaluation.

A woman with insomnia – she was already seeing several medical professionals and had been ‘poked and prodded’ for years now. No one knew how she was still alive, let alone why she was unable to sleep. She was already receiving the medical expertise he would have ordinarily recommended and he gathered that her particular plight must have struck a chord in him in his sleep-deprived state.

A teen in a coma –

**_Slam!_ **

His office door flung open hard enough to smack into the plaster wall behind it. Naru reflexively leapt into a defensive stance, feet apart and hands raised, ready to run or fight at a moment’s notice. The chair he’d been sitting in toppled and hit the floor, unnoticed, as Mai burst into the room. She collided with the desk between them like a novice skater using rink walls for brakes. 

“Gene said to look in a mirror!”

At the mention of his twin, all else was forgotten.

“Gene –” Naru breathed, hope blooming too quickly in his tightening chest. When he processed the rest of Mai’s sentence, all he could manage was a bewildered, “...what?”

“A mirror!” She repeated. Naru wasn’t proud to admit it, but her meaning was still lost on him. “Do you have one?”

“Not on hand -”

Mai left the room before he’d even finished responding. He listened to her rummage through draws and absently followed her through the open door, just in time to see Mai upend the contents of her bag on her desk. She salvaged a cherry red disk from the pile and held up the treasure in triumph. “Aha!”

Crossing the distance between them, Mai thrust the object – a compact mirror -into his hands. It struck him as an odd item for her to carry, but a quick glance at Mai’s desk told him that she didn’t empty her bag often. Crumpled receipts crowned Mai’s belongings like toppings on an especially extravagant sundae.

Opening the compact, Naru stared down at his reflection. Mai peered over his arm, leaning against him as they followed Gene’s bizarre instruction.

They waited.

Nothing happened.

“What did he say exactly?” Maybe something had been missed in her haste to pass on the message.

“Tell my brother to look in a mirror.” Mai supplied confidently. She looked at the compact in his hands and shrugged helplessly. “Maybe it needs to just be you?” She pulled away from him and Naru tried again for the sake of elimination.

Still nothing.

Whatever Gene hoped to accomplish was lost on him.

Mai rocked back on her heels and sighed. “He can be pretty cryptic sometimes.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are times when he doesn’t say anything at all – just points at things or smiles when I see what he wants to show me. I think...” Mai hesitated, weighing the accuracy of her words before continuing on with renewed conviction. “I think it’s hard for Gene to speak – like it takes a lot of energy or something.”

_So he may need time to recharge._

Naru turned the compact over in his hands. “Do you mind if I keep this?”

“Sure.”

She started clearing the mess of her desk, shovelling it back into her bag. Mid swipe, Mai paused. Her shoulders fell and she drew her hands towards her heart, cradled to her chest. “He didn’t answer when I asked how to find him,” Mai admitted softly.

Naru would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed, but he’d had more reason to hope in the last few days than he’d had in years. He could wait. With or without Gene’s help, he’d always intended to find his brother. Nothing had changed that.

He wrapped his arms around Mai, heart full with the knowledge that she’d _tried_.

“If it drains Gene to communicate, he may not have been able to.”

“I should have asked him sooner.”

“Why didn’t you?” His question was soft, not accusing. Naru didn’t need to ask Mai to know that there hadn’t been an opportunity – he just needed Mai to realise that for herself.

“He was suffering. I tried to help.”

“And did you?”

“Yes – but _after_ -” She protested.

“Gene had his own agenda.” Naru arched an eyebrow and dared her to disagree with him. She’d told him enough about her dreams (even before he knew about Gene’s influence) to know that his brother was the one contacting her, not the other way around. There must have been a reason.

“He was concerned about our safety.”

_There it was._

“Then I’m glad you addressed his concerns first.” His arms relaxed around Mai’s small frame, hands falling loosely to her hips. “Did Gene mention why he was worried?”

“He said something ‘felt wrong’.”

“Did you feel it too?”

Mai’s brow furrowed as she thought about the question. Eventually she shook her head, “No.”

Naru gave into temptation and tucked a stray lock of Mai’s hair behind her ear. Being allowed to touch her was a novelty. “Let me know if you sense anything.”

Hands pressed to his chest and Mai peeked up at him with a wry grin, “‘Anything’ covers a lot of ground, you know.”

Naru smirked, enjoying the push and pull between them. “I know.”

-x-

Cho’s fingers trembled uncontrollably. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Every face she passed seemed to follow her with their gaze as she blindly made her way home.

Had they seen the boy in black, too?

Did they know what she’d done?

Paranoia spurned her ever forward, too terrified to look back. It was impossible, Cho tried to assure herself. No one had seen. No one had even suspected she was _capable_ of taking a life.

After the first year or so, the nightmares grew rare. Ignorable. Cho had stopped seeing the boy in every fleeting reflection or glimpse of a stranger who shared his fashion sense. She thought she’d put the mistake behind her. Until she’d come face to face with her past, Cho hadn’t considered that turning her back on her choices might allow them to catch up with her.

Then, she’d seen his _eyes_.

This wasn’t an illusion, trick of the light or guilty memory – he was _real_ and he was looking straight at her.

It was impossible!

It _should_ have been impossible.

She’d fled. The journey back home was an adrenaline fuelled blur punctuated by guilt and revelation.

The boy in black had come for her.

Pulse racing, Cho pressed her back against the soft cushions of the couch she’d dragged between the kitchen’s entrance and the lounge room. She faced the locked door, fingers clutched tightly around a worn baseball bat that had once belonged to her husband. Yutaka had left it behind, along with Cho, when her dark secret had eaten away at their marriage until only the memory of love remained. Traces of him were scattered throughout their once happy home, a constant reminder of what her silence had cost.

Cho knew the bat and locked door were useless against a spirit, but no amount of burning sage or symbols drawn in salt eased her mind. Perhaps the supernatural precautions she’d taken would buy her some time, but Cho couldn’t afford to tell anyone about her situation. Anyone capable of talking to the spirit was a potential witness to her crime.

_No one can know._

But if no one could know, how could anyone save her?

-x-

**_Omake:_ **

**_Slam!_ **

Naru’s office door flung open hard enough to smack into the plaster wall behind it. He reflexively leapt into a defensive stance, feet apart and hands raised, ready to run or fight at a moment’s notice. The chair he’d been sitting in toppled and hit the floor, unnoticed, as Mai burst into the room. She collided with the desk between them like a novice skater using rink walls for brakes. 

“Gene said to look in a mirror!”

At the mention of his twin, all else was forgotten.

“Gene –” Naru breathed, hope blooming too quickly in his tightening chest. When he processed the rest of Mai’s sentence, all he could manage was a bewildered, “...what?”

“A mirror!” She repeated. Naru wasn’t proud to admit it, but her meaning was still lost on him. “Do you have one?”

“Not on hand -”

The tension in Mai’s body went lax and she stared at him in a confused kind of awe. “I think I need to reconsider your nickname.”


	3. Because You Live

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Silmarien Miriel!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Days had passed since Mai relayed Gene’s message and Naru had yet to see anything aside from his reflection in a mirror. The request had been important enough that Gene expended precious energy on the words, so Naru listened and waited. In the meantime, he began reviewing old case files and putting together a timeline of when Gene had contacted Mai.

Obviously Naru couldn’t pinpoint every instance, but he hoped to measure the length of time between Mai’s dreams with as much accuracy as possible. Was there a pattern? Could there be a correlation between the energy Mai perceived Gene using and the frequency of Gene’s ability to communicate?

Perhaps it was a connection based on need and circumstance. There was also the possibility that Mai’s abilities played a role in when Gene was able to communicate and why.

Naru glanced at the picture-frame sized mirror propped on his desk. He kept Mai’s compact in his jacket pocket (just in case) but after the first twenty-four hours obsessively checking the reflection, Naru purchased an option that was easier to observe in passing.

“Anything yet?”

Mai sat a cup of tea down in front of him. He shook his head. “Nothing.”

Stepping into his space, Mai curled herself around his shoulders. “I’m sure it’ll make sense soon.”

Naru leaned into her touch, covering the hands Mai looped around him with one of his own. He hadn’t allowed himself so much physical contact in years, if ever. It was different. Pleasant. Grounding.

Mai made him feel safe in a way he’d never known.

She kissed his temple and shifted her weight from his back, tensing mid-movement. “Uh, Naru?”

“What is it?”

Wordlessly, Mai pointed in front of him. _The mirror,_ Naru realised - _Gene’s request._

His reflection smiled. A familiar presence brushed against Naru’s mind, filling a void carved in him the night Gene died. Jaw clenching, Naru fought the urge to cry.

 _“If you start, so will I,”_ Gene’s voice echoed through their psychic bond. Out loud Gene spoke wistfully, reaching out to touch the barrier between them. “Hello, Noll.”

Naru’s throat grew tight. “ _Gene_.” There was so much he wanted to say. Where – why – _how?_ Navigating life without Gene had changed everything. Naru hadn’t known what it was like, being truly alone inside his head. He and Gene had been apart at times, but never more than a few weeks at most. The silence, the emptiness in his mind and heart had been overwhelming. Sometimes Naru wondered if a part of him had died with Gene, leaving him here, soulless and hollow.

To say he missed Gene would be laughable - the word was woefully insufficient.

Gene’s consciousness shifted against Naru’s, their eyes locking through the mirror. _“Since when have we ever needed words?”_

With a short nod, Naru opened up his mind to Gene. Feelings and abstract, half-formed concepts flowed between them with ease, as if it hadn’t been years since he’d felt Gene’s presence in his mind. The sense of nostalgia was so strong, Naru ached with it. Their pain and loneliness were shared – the darkness of the world Gene slept in, the hole in Naru’s life that Gene had left. Struggles, hopes, theories and fears all swept together in moments. When Naru’s thoughts turned to his search, Gene pulled away abruptly.

“ _Please stop.”_

Naru recoiled, confused and disoriented by Gene’s sudden withdrawal. “What?” Mai tensed beside him, instantly alert. Understanding began to dawn on Naru, how Gene had reacted and when. His confusion quickly turned to anger. “You can’t be _serious_!”

Mai’s hand found his forearm. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want Noll to find my body.” Gene answered for both of them. Mai’s reaction was visceral – jolting as if struck her body curled protectively, hands clenched around a cocktail of anger, confusion and pain. She looked the way he felt, Naru realised.

“But -”

Gene’s expression grew hard, uncompromising. "I want my brother to live, not dwell on the past."

"But still!” Mai persisted, “What about your parents? Don’t you want to give them closure?”

Gene remained calm, though Naru felt frustration and hopelessness build inside his twin.

"What do you think will happen if Noll finds my body?"

Ah , so that was where he was going with this. Gene glared at him.

Mai glanced between the two of them, unsure. “He’ll take you home – to England.”

"And what else?" Gene pressed, openly agitated now. "Don't you think the police would find it odd that he knew where to find me? Noll will be suspected of my murder."

Mai went very still.

“They won’t have a shred of proof,” Naru scoffed. Now that he knew the reason, he wished Gene hadn’t unloaded it on Mai. She wasn’t used to being put under a microscope like they were. Time had told Naru that he had very little control over what others thought of him, whereas Mai would probably be offended on his behalf. “It’s hardly the first time I’ve been held in suspicion thanks to my abilities.”

“That’s exactly why I’m worried.”

Naru refused to back down, reaching out to Gene with his mind.

_I’ll find you with or without your help. If you’re really so concerned that I’m wasting my future, help me._

“I _need_ to do this, Gene.”

Naru could feel the moment he’d won. He’d expected Gene to be irritated with him, but the emotions Naru felt via their link were more akin to regret and guilt. Gene’s perspective of Mai’s pained expression touched his mind.

_No. You’re right – I should have warned her._

Gene paused, mouth open. His shoulders dropped as he stood a little taller, feigning suspicion. “ _Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”_

Confused by Gene’s seemingly unprompted reaction, Mai did what she usually did – charge forward blindly with her heart on her sleeve. “Is that really so surprising?”

Gene startled in earnest this time and offered Mai a soft smile. “No. I’ll help you – though I’m not sure how much help I can actually be.”

“You don’t know where she left your body,” Naru surmised. It made sense – being dead didn’t mean you were all-knowing. Being a perfect medium might give Gene a few advantages over an average spirit, but there was no guarantee that Gene had learned any more about his death than he possessed when he died.

“I can show you where I was before -” fumbling, Gene grimaced and left the sentence hanging. They all knew what ‘before’ referred to. Naru adjusted the subject. “Which region?”

“Kanto.”

Mai passed Naru a pen after he unfolded the correct map and he lingered when their fingertips brushed. Something about her struck Naru as vulnerable. Mai had shown time and time again how much she was willing to sacrifice for those she loved and Naru couldn’t shake the idea that she was preparing to do so again.

He captured Mai’s hand and tugged her close. “It’ll be alright.”

“You’re sure?”

“ _Yes._ ”

Mai let out a long breath and offered him a shaky smile. “Okay.” Naru’s heart soared. She trusted him, believed in him – later, when they were alone, he planned to show Mai how much that meant to him. For now, the two of them bent over the map as Gene gave them a list of places and landmarks to identify. Only parts of the map had been transcribed into English, so Mai focused on the finer details once Naru had determined the general area.

Gene faded soon after.

Heart sore, Naru stood with Mai in silence, taking a moment to acknowledge his grief.

“Would you like me to update Lin?”

Naru couldn’t bring himself to speak. He nodded and Mai reached up to catch his face in her soft hands. Her thumbs brushed against his cheekbones in a soothing motion, as if she were wiping away unshed tears. “We’re here for you,” Mai reminded him firmly. “Just come out when you’re ready.”

She was a marvel.

In moments like these, Mai made him feel seen and protected in ways Naru never could have anticipated. Handing her the map with its fresh markings, he watched Mai quietly close the door behind her, glancing back at him through the narrowing gap with a private smile.

For a while Naru listened to the hum of their voices as Mai discussed what had happened and what they now knew with Lin. No one disturbed him and Naru allowed himself to drift, losing track of time. When he emerged, it was to Lin’s laughter and Mai’s half-hearted protests. Their happiness was infectious and Naru allowed hope to bloom in his heart. No matter what happened now, whether he found Gene or not, he wasn’t alone anymore. Naru was starting to see that he never had been.

-x-

Mai sat quietly on the long couch opposite him, toying absently with a cup of tea. Lin was fairly certain the drink had long gone cold, a suspicion confirmed by Mai when she attempted to drink it. Spluttering, she pulled a disgusted face and sat the cup out of immediate reach with an offended ‘thunk’.

"Want to talk about it?" Lin offered.

Mai grimaced. “The tea is _cold_.”

“So I gather.”

An undignified snort escaped Mai’s mouth and she flopped sideways, narrowly missing the arm of the couch when she fell. "What if Naru could claim he was checking out the area for business purposes, rather than personal?" She mused, "It might be seen as convenient, but at least he’d have a cover story."

Lin mulled over the idea's potential and shook his head. "It may be better if he doesn't."

Mai looked up at him and waited for an elaboration.

"Naru will probably be suspected either way, but hiding our intentions could easily backfire." He explained, "If the Police can't make a significant case against him, there won't be any point in taking it to court – but if they had reason to believe that we felt the need to _disguise_ our actions -"

"We'd only be making a case against ourselves." Mai finished for him, nodding dejectedly. She twisted to stare up at the ceiling. “I just wish I could help more, you know?”

“More?” Lin raised his eyebrows. “Mai, at this rate I’m surprised no one has made you a saint. Maybe I should get Brown-san on that…”

Mai faltered, “He can’t actually do that, right?”

Lin shrugged. “Who knows? Though I bet Yasuhara-san could pull it off if I asked.”

“What?!” She squawked, clamouring back up into a sitting position. “You _wouldn’t!_ ”

Lin laughed openly.

When Naru emerged to join them, his mood was lighter than it had been in years. Hope looked good on him, Lin thought.

The three of them left SPR early, Mai climbing into the van with Naru and himself. It wasn’t unusual for the three of them to eat dinner together now, though Mai tended to return home afterwards. Considering the lovebirds were about to be separated for at least a few days, Lin doubted that would be the case tonight.

-x-

“When are you leaving?” Mai asked, throwing Naru a pair of socks. He caught and dropped them in the small suitcase lying open on the bed.

Naru shook his head, “In the morning.” Hopefully he added, “Will you stay?”

“I think I can manage that,” she teased. “You don’t mind if I borrow something to sleep in again, do you?”

Naru shifted his weight to lean on the side of the suitcase. His breath caught, throat contracting and expanding as he swallowed. Mai imagined tracing the motion with her fingertips.

“Take whatever you like.”

Naru wasn’t talking about clothes anymore, was he? Biting her lip, Mai tested the waters. She pointed to the floor in front of her, “Come here.”

He _came_.

A smile tugged at Naru’s lips. “Should I kneel?” He spoke confidently, but Naru’s eyes held hers with a sense of urgency that stole Mai’s breath away. He was vulnerable, prepared to shrug his desire off as a joke if it made her uncomfortable.

“Would you like that?” Mai asked, “Me telling you what to do?”

Naru was silent at first, watching carefully for a reaction. Mai waited. She’d given him an opening - it was up to Naru if he took it.

“And if I did?”

Heart hammering in her chest, Mai met his challenge head on. “I’d tell you to get down on your knees.”

Never breaking eye contact, Naru slowly lowered himself to the floor. Mai’s mouth went _dry_. He was beautiful, powerful and proud and he was on his knees for her. Heat bloomed under her skin – nothing about the mood between them felt strange – it felt so, _so right_.

“Touch me, Naru.”

Naru’s hands slid up her thighs and found Mai’s hips, tugging her closer and breathing in deeply. He sounded _happy_.

_I make him happy._

A helpless giggle escaped Mai’s lips and she felt Naru smirk against her skirt before pulling her down to the floor with him. “You brat!” She gasped, narrowing her eyes at Naru as he propped himself on her stomach. Shrugging, Naru made a point of getting even more comfortable.

_Challenge accepted._

Subtly, Mai shifted underneath him. Naru groaned at the contact, breath hitching as she slid her thigh between his legs. He was unmistakably aroused and Mai was sorely tempted to stay exactly where she was. (But that would mean Naru would _win_ ).

Mai ground against his straining pants and used Naru’s distraction to thrust her weight up and over, leading with the hip she’d managed to wiggle out to one side. Naru landed with a soft huff, hair falling around his face like a dark halo. She pinned his arms above his head and admired the picture he made, mussed and spread out beneath her.

Naru made no effort to move, outside of arching an eyebrow. “That’s playing dirty.”

“You don’t look like you’re complaining, though.”

“Definitely not.”

Easing off his wrists, Mai dragged her hands down his body, mapping him with her fingertips. Naru’s eyes watched her every move, fluttering shut with a satisfying gasp or an arched back whenever she found a particularly sweet spot. His abdominal muscles clenched and trembled when Mai traced feather light lines beneath Naru’s ribcage, awaking a primal urge to latch onto the sensitive skin with her mouth. Kami, she wanted to take him apart and wreak him with pleasure.

“ _God_ , yes!” Naru gasped, bucking up against her. Mai didn’t stop to wonder if she’d spoken out loud – all that mattered right now was getting as close as possible as fast as possible. Feeling her urgency, Naru sat up and practically tore off his shirt, making short work of hers before fumbling with the clasp on her bra. Mai ripped it off for him and pulled Naru into a bruising kiss.

His hands copied her earlier example with significantly less finesse, but the firmer, desperate wandering was no less enticing.

“Naru,” Mai panted between artless, fervent kisses, “get on the bed.”

The suitcase they’d been packing was dumped unceremoniously on the floor. Before Naru could comply with her request though, Mai hooked her fingers in the front of his pants. He stilled instantly.

“Can I?”

“Mai, you can do whatever you want with me.”

She hesitated. “Just – just let me know if it’s too much, okay?”

The hunger in Naru’s gaze softened. “Nothing about you will ever be ‘too much’,” he assured her.

“But -”

Naru interrupted her with a kiss. “I dreamed about you. _Being_ with you. If -” he faltered. “If it helps, I could tell you what I fantasised about.”

Mai was speechless. Would Naru really be alright with that? Fantasies could be extremely personal and not even necessarily what you wanted to physically experience – but did she want to know? Of fucking course she did.

Naru watched her internal debate with interest and must have spotted the moment when feral desire won out. “Sometimes, I just dreamed about being able to touch you, kiss you just because I could. In others,” he paused, “you handcuffed me and made me beg.”

Mai’s eyes went wide.

“Don’t worry, I definitely enjoyed it.”

“Do you think you’d like that in real life?”

“I don’t know.” He answered honestly, “Would you like to try?”

Mai was pretty sure she’d try just about anything for Naru. She told him as much. “Will you tell me more about it?”

He sat down on the bed and held his hand out to her. Mai took it and Naru pulled her into his lap. He was still hard and Mai let her hands wander while he spoke. Naru grinned in approval, and the game was on.

She unbuckled his belt and his hand slid under her skirt. “In the dreams, despite being restrained I felt -” Mai’s fingers got as far as unzipping Naru’s fly before he stuttered.

“...safe.” Naru teased the dip of her inner thigh, running along the edge of her underwear. Mai squirmed impatiently, but he moved his fingers further away when she tried to chase his touch.

“I never felt humiliated or forced into something I didn’t want to do -” Mai grazed Naru’s cock through his underwear and he rocked into her hand distractedly, gasping out his inner most thoughts with reckless abandon. “It was more like – being -” Naru teased her back, running his fingers over her damp underwear, dipping inside her through the fabric and making Mai gush, hot and trembling and saturated.

“...Allowed to want things. You encouraged me, praised me when I was honest about my desires.”

“Good,” Mai managed, dragging Naru into a searing kiss. “You are allowed to want things. I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise, including you.” She freed his cock from his underwear and paused at the feel of it.

It was so _smooth._

The tip was flushed and wet with pre-come, which coated Mai’s hand as she rolled back his foreskin. The slide of soft skin over hot, rigid muscle was _intoxicating_.

Naru twitched in her hand and moaned.

“Was that -”

“Good?” Naru anticipated, “ _Yes._ ”

“Will you, ah, show me what to do?”

Naru took Mai’s hand in his, shaping her fist in a ring around his cock. Lightly guiding her hand from tip to base and back again, he waited for Mai to get a feel for the rhythm as he rocked gently into her fist and increased the pressure.

“Like – like that -” Naru gasped between breaths, letting Mai take over. Every stroke drew wild sounds from his lips and she could feel his cock grow thicker and harder in her inexperienced but enthusiastic hands.

“Oh my _god_ -”

Mai tried to repeat whatever she’d done to pull that reaction from Naru and struck gold. Half formed words and broken sounds spilled from Naru’s lips with increasing urgency and volume. Seeing him completely undone in her hands was the most incredible thing she’d ever seen.

“Look at you,” Mai vaguely registered saying, too high on the feeling humming under her skin to pay attention to the words coming out of her mouth. “Kami, you’re beautiful. All flushed and wreaked for me...”

“Mai, I’m -”

Naru arched and fell still, mouth open in silent ecstasy. Mai felt the air around her thrum, as if the heat in her veins had somehow manifested. The light above them flickered and Naru lurched forward, cock pulsing in her palm. Bursts of white, hot pleasure painted Mai’s chest and spilled over her fingers.

His come slowly followed the curves of her body and Mai dragged her hands through the mess. It felt strange on her skin – good, but not a feeling Mai knew how to describe beyond basic terms like ‘warm’ or ‘slippery’. The light flickered again when she followed the impulse to massage her breasts with Naru’s come and Mai paused to glance towards the ceiling. “Should I be concerned?”

“No.” Naru didn’t offer an explanation and when he looped his arms up under her thighs, Mai didn’t ask.

“Can I taste you?”

Mai _throbbed_. 

“Please,” she gasped. Mai didn’t need to tell him twice. Naru dragged her up his body, hitching her skirt up around her waist. Mai undid the zip and pulled it off over her head. Naru didn’t bother to remove her underwear before burying his face between her thighs.

“God, you smell so _good_.” Mai whimpered.

The thin material covering her did nothing to reduce the sensation of Naru’s warm breath against her oversensitive skin. He looked up at Mai through long, dark lashes with an intensity he usually reserved for hunting ghosts and licked her.

“Ah!” Mai’s thighs spasmed and she felt Naru grin against her. “Cheeky brat,” she murmured, running her nails lightly across his scalp. He leaned into her touch and Mai fisted her hands in his hair. Naru’s eyes fluttered shut in ecstasy. “So _good_...”

He traced her slit through the fabric with his tongue, bringing the soaked cloth into his mouth and sucking over her swollen clit. Mai swore.

“You tease,” she accused breathlessly. When he slipped his fingers underneath Mai’s underwear and dipped inside her, Naru groaned headily against her thigh. “You’re so _wet_...” Withdrawing his slicked fingers, Naru sucked them into his mouth and hummed in pleasure.

_Fuck._

How was it legal to be that hot?!

Inspired and desperately turned on, Mai pulled away from Naru’s lips, ordering him to stay put when he tried to follow. Straddling his face, Mai pushed aside her underwear and spread herself open above him. “Watch me.”

“Mai...” He breathed her name like it was a prayer.

She wanted to be worshiped.

With her free hand, Mai ran her fingertips along the inside of her flushed, wet folds, dipping inside and dragging up over her swollen clit. Naru watched hungrily as she rocked into her hand, chasing the sweet pressure with short stuttered gasps. She teased, pinched and tugged at her clit, imagining Naru sucking the small bud between his lips and destroying her with his tongue.

In breathless, broken sentences, Mai told Naru what she’d imagined.

“Let me,” he groaned, writhing underneath her. “ _Please_.”

Mai paused at his use of the word, ‘please’. Up until recently, she hadn’t thought it part of Naru’s vocabulary.

He didn’t need to ask twice.

As Naru sucked and licked and fucked her with his tongue, Mai bucked and trembled, bracketed safely in his arms. Naru’s long fingers gripped her breasts and teased her hardened nipples, pinching and tugging like Mai had demonstrated on her clit. The combined sensations were overwhelming. Sounds spilled from her lips that might have startled her if Mai wasn’t so thoroughly lost in the way Naru was making her feel – broken cries and feral, disjointed moans filled the small room. She couldn’t bring herself to care if anyone heard.

At some point Naru laid her back on the bed to fuck her with his fingers, sucking her nipples into his mouth and flicking the tip with his tongue.

“I can feel you right now,” Naru gasped, shuddering as he dragged a hand down her body. Mai leaned into his hands and hummed in pleasure.

“No, I mean – I can feel myself touching you.” Naru explained distractedly, “Do you – do you want me to stop?”

His meaning finally dawned on Mai. “You’re reading me?”

“I didn’t mean to.”

Mai bit down on her lip to stop herself from acting solely on lust.

“You like the idea?” Naru responded before she’d said a word.

“Yes,” she confirmed out loud, “but I don’t want you to pass out just because I think it’s sexy.”

Naru smirked. “I can do this much, don’t worry.”

“And if it’s too much?”

“I’ll stop, I promise.”

He didn’t need to stop. With the feedback flowing through her body and into his, Naru sought out Mai’s pleasure with ruthless efficiency. She came over his hands and again in his mouth, and again until she lay panting in his arms and her vision threatened to white out. When they both were oversensitive and thoroughly spent, the two curled up in each other until the mess became too hard to ignore.

“I suppose I should probably help you keep packing,” Mai mused, staring at the overturned suitcase.

“Later.” Naru tugged her out of bed. “Shower first.”

“Only if you’re joining me,” Mai protested. Naru looped and arm around her waist and pulled her body flush against him.

“You drive a hard bargain.”

-x-

**_Omake:_ **

Mai sat quietly on the long couch opposite him, toying absently with a cup of tea. Lin was fairly certain the drink had long gone cold, a suspicion confirmed by Mai when she attempted to drink it. Spluttering, she pulled a disgusted face and sat the cup out of immediate reach with an offended ‘thunk’.

"Want to talk about it?" Lin offered.

Mai flopped sideways, narrowly missing the arm of the couch when she fell. After a few beats of silence, Mai shared what was on her mind.

"Why ' _Noll_ '?" She emphasised with a half-hearted flap of her arms.

"No offence, but the nickname sounds, well…" Mai trailed off, searching for the right word. “...Unflattering?”

Lin raised an eyebrow at her, amused. “Unlike ‘Narcissistic Naru-chan’?”

“Okay, that wasn’t too flattering either,” Mai conceded, falling still for a moment. Once she’d started to get the words out though, they kept coming. "But how on earth did anyone manage to get ' _Noll_ ' from ' _Oliver_ '?” She gestured with increasing wildness, “About the only similarity between the two words is that they both contain an 'o' and an 'l'!”

Mai was standing now, both arms in the air like she was leading an orchestra in a series of building crescendos. “What is he, a reincarnation of the second gunman?!"

Lin blinked. ‘Second gunman’? Did she just reference a JFK conspiracy theory??

Lin burst out laughing. Mai blushed, having clearly said more than she’d meant to. When it was clear he wasn’t laughing _at_ her, Mai gleefully collapsed into giggles alongside him.

When they’d both caught their breath, Lin looked over at Mai and grinned mischievously.

"'Noll' isn't short for 'Oliver'," Lin corrected. "It's short for 'k _no_ w it a _ll_ '."


End file.
